Shedding the Demons

Sierra-Manteca finally brought home its first SJS Div. III hoops title on its third trip to the finals

  By JIM McCUE | Senior Contributor

  The Sierra-Manteca boys basketball team has become familiar with Sleep Train Arena as the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III final has become familiar with the Timberwolves. In its third appearance on the Sacramento Kings’ home court in four years, Sierra finally became familiar with the feelings of being on the winning side in a section final — the program’s first SJS title in its history.

  “It’s hard to explain,” Timberwolves coach Scott Thomason said of his first time on the podium for the winners’ postgame press conference, “but tonight it’s paradise.”

  Thomason has been a familiar face on the Sierra campus, having coached the boys’ varsity basketball team since 2001. In his first year, he brought his Timberwolves to Arco Arena for the SJS Div. III championship game against league rival Riverbank. After beating Riverbank twice in league play and leading by nine points at halftime of the section final, Sierra eventually lost 48-47.

  In 2015, the Timberwolves faced Valley Oak League foe Weston Ranch-Stockton in the section final after posting a 2-0 record against the Cougars in league play. Sierra led Weston Ranch by nine points (32-23) at the intermission, giving Thomason a scare with the familiarity of the situation.

  “It was kind of eerie, but we exorcised some demons out there,” Thomason said of his team eliminating any possibility of the déjà vu of another heartbreaking loss.

  The exorcism was performed by familiar strengths that have been a staple of this year’s 29-2 team: defense and rebounding. Leading the defensive stand was senior center Joshua Patton with 12 rebounds and 9 blocks to cool off the ninth-seeded Cougars, who came into the final as the hottest underdog in the postseason. The 6-foot-8 Patton added a game-high 24 points as he and his game stood head and shoulders above the rest of the game’s participants.

  “I knew he was going to come out and be a man tonight,” Thomason said of Patton. “He established himself and did a great job of mixing things up when he was going to go up and block a shot and when he was going to stay down and plant his feet to take it between the numbers.”

  Even when he did not swat away shots, he altered shots and discouraged Weston Ranch from entering the paint. The Cougars made only 17 of 54 shots attempted and were outrebounded by the Timberwolves 44-31. Patton’s front-court partner Hunter Johnson pitched in a game-high 14 boards to go along with 11 points for a potent double dose of double-doubles. Patton was a generous statistician away from a triple-double as he appeared to block more than the official nine shots credited to him.

  The senior center was familiar with the surroundings and the stakes as he was a member of Sierra’s 2013 squad that advanced to the Div. III final before falling to section power Modesto Christian, which has since moved up to Div. II in the section playoffs and will play in the CIF Open Division bracket for the third consecutive year. Joshua’s brother, Justin, also played on the section runner-up team in 2012 that fell to Foothill-Sacramento in the final.

  “I promised the coaches two years ago that we would get back here and win,” Patton said of his goal to reverse the trend of coming up a game short. “To do that, it’s unreal.”

  For the Timberwolves, things are about to get real with another shot in the NorCal playoffs. Sierra earned the No. 3 seed and will host Archbishop Riordan-S.F. contest in a 6 p.m. game on March 14. Riordan advanced with a 55-53 win over Albany on March 11. In each of Sierra’s past three entries into the regional playoffs, the Timberwolves have yet to record a victory.

  Fortunately for Sierra, the familiar confines of its home gym could propel the Timberwolves into the unfamiliar territory of the NorCal quarterfinals. Thomason’s group is 11-0 on its home floor this season, and the coach is confident his players, including guards Daniel Wyatt and Devin Nunez, have what it takes to play within themselves in order to venture into uncharted waters.

  “I have a lot of trust in my guys that they are going to be ready to go,” Thomason said of the NorCal playoffs. “We have business to take care of.

  “We have a competitive spirit, leadership, and pride, and we’re not done doing special things.”